Self-positioning mail-pouch rack.



V. WILLOUGHBY= SELF POSITIONING MAII. POUCH RACK. APPLICATION FILED smnz. 1914.

1,199,848; I Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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V. WILLOUGHBY.

SELF POSITIONING MAIL POUCH RACK- APPLlCATION'HLED SEPT.2, 19M.

1,199,848. Patented Oct. 3,1916. j

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

3 IN VENTOR.

WITNESSES 7 z 2%?! 11h I By NZ 012? L/ @Ma@ v v A'TTORNEY I ATNT 0 Fro I VICTOR WILLOUGHBY, 0F JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SELF-POSITIONING MAIL-POUCH RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 1914. .Serial No. 859,887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VICTOR VVILLOUGHBY, residing at Jeffersonville, Clark county, Indiana, and being a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Positioning Mail- Pouch Racks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and to use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that variousper part of said rack being broken away,

and Fig. 3 is a front elevation, illustrating a pair of adjacent racks, one being turned up against the wall and the other being lowered into position for supporting mail pouches.

My invention relates to mail pouch racks of a type well adapted to be installed in railway postal cars, and it has for an objecttheprovision of racks for the'purpose indicated, upon which a maximum number of mail pouches may be con veniently hung, but any one of which racks may be turned up against the wall to occupy a. minimum amount of space within the car when there is no need' for its use.

It is also a purpose to avoid complex or unreliable mechanisms and to supply racks which will instantly and harmoniously adjust themselves, each independently of the others, to either a service or non-service position, upon the simple manual operation of moving the rack to the desired position. An advantageous feature of my improved rack is its location-retaining qualities in either of its positi ns, which qualitie do not interfere with the automatic release of the rack when ,it is manually operated to change from one of said positions to the other, and which cause an immediate retention of said rack as soon asjit has as sumed thechangedposition. Such a construction is provided that'it is unnecessary to effect auxiliary releasesbefore the rack can be moved, but equally constant is the inability of said rack to nullify its position-retaining properties, except at the will and upon thedeliberate action of the operator. As the parts are few and may be constructed by low cost manufacturing processes, and of inexpensive materials, the rack may be produced very. cheaply, and its simplicity and ruggedness permits of hard and long usuage without the likelihood.of derangement or breakage.

Other advantages appearing hereinafter, and derived fromthe conception herein disclosed, obviously come within-the scope of this invention.

In the drawings, 1 indicates supporting brackets, suitably attached, for example, by countersunk bolts 2, to a wall 8,.as the inside lining of a railway postal car. Each bracket 1 is provided with a base'plate i, the opposite ends of which are widened to form attachment wings through whichthe bolts 2 may pass to enter wall 3, whereby said bracket may be secured to the wall.

By choice, located in the lower portion of each bracket 1, and extending outwardly from base plate 4, is an abutment 5, the function of which will be explained later. The outermost or front face of said abutment is principally in the form of a compound curve, extending upwardly and out 'wardly from base plate 4 to a place where it becomes a protuberance 6. Continuing upwardly, the front face of abutment 5 becomes also the outer face ofa ridge flange 7, the inner face of which is created by a concavity 8 which-serves as a seat or socket for the sidearms 9 of the mail pouch rack 10, when the latter. is in its upright position.

Suitably positioned in advance of base plate 4: and above abutment 5, is a fixed pivot stud 11, shown as a horizontally disposed cylinderhaving a length preferably corresponding to th Wi th f he m er Patented. Oct. 3, 191a.

is a stop 12.

Dividing each bracket 1 into portions adapted to cooperate with sidearms 9 of different but adjacent racks 10, IS a central upright'web-13, extending nearly the length of said bracket. Said central web supports the pivot stud 11, and stiffens and braces the other parts of the bracket 1, which latter may be a casting comprlsing base plate -4, abutment 5, pivot stud 11, stop 12 and fraining from illustrating such hooks.

central web 13. The side arms are illustrated as comprising a web A and a perimetrical flange B extending at an angular relation to said web. Said flange is useful as a stiffener for the web throughout the length of said arm and also performs a useful function in cooperation with a fixed pivot stud hereinafter referred to in securing the arm in certain predetermined positions, as for use or non-use. 7

Racks 10 each comprise a pair of side arms 9, previously referred to, and a series of connecting and mail pouch-supporting members which join the said arms 9 and may well be the rods or tubes 14 and 14 illustrated, the ends of which are shown to be threaded and screwed into the side arms 9. Manifestly, the mail pouch-supporting members may partake of other forms than the tubes depicted, and, for example, be composed of structural pieces, which may have a dilferent type of connection to side arms 9 than that provided for the tubes 14. Or, owing to its simplicity, the entire rack may be a unitary casting.

Any of a great variety of hooks may be strung along the pouch-supporting members or tubes 14, by means of which the mail pouches may be conveniently suspended from the racks 10, and expeditiously at tached to and removed fromthe same. Such means are well known in the art, and it has therefore been deemed advisable to preserve the clearness of the drawings by re- Though simple, the side arms 9 of each rack 10 are all that are necessary to cooperate with the brackets 1 associated with such rack to give a complete control of the device herein described. These side arms,

while subject to variations in structure, adequately fulfil their requirements when fashioned as shown in the drawings. Each side arm 9 is of an appropriate length, and preferably tapers as it progresses outwardly, i. 6., away from its center of rotation. At its outer end portion each side arm is deflected so that, when in its substantially horizontal position, said outer end portion is directed downwardly and outwardly, and when the arm is upturned, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, said end projects upwardly and outwardly. The outer extremities of the outer deflected end portions of the pair of side arms 9 of each rack 10 are connected by a tube 14 It is optional whether this tube be supplied with mail pouch suspending hooks or kept free of them and utilized solely as an operating handle. The latter arrangement is preferable, but tube or member 14 may be supplied with hooks distributed to leave an unoccupied handle portion, if desired. At the junction of the deflected end portion and the outer end of the mainportion of said side arms 9, a pouch-supporting tube or member 14 connects the side arms of each rack 10, and intermediate said side arms one or more such members 14 are disposed to similarly join arms 9, one such intermediate member being shown'in the drawings in each rack. The pivotal or inner ends of side arms 9 of'each rack are similarly connected by another pouch-supporting member 14. Said inner ends of the side arms 9 are shown as approximating the contour of a gun stock, the portion of the butt end of each side arm which extends from the same side of arm 9 as the deflected end, forming a foot 15. It is apparent that side arm .9 and foot 15 form the equivalent of a lever, such as a bell crank lever, in which the main" portion 9 is the long arm and the foot 15 the short arm, such a bell crank lever forming a good substitute for the side arm 9 illustrated in the drawings. To the rear of foot 15 said butt end of arm 9, when the'latter is in its upright position, preferably extends below said foot and is formed into a heel 16, adapted, when the rack 10 is in its said upright position, to rest in and bear against one of the seats 8 of the bracket 1 with which it is allied.

A desirable formation of each side arm 9 is for the gun stock-shaped portion to he possessed of a channel shaped cross section, the web of said arm 9 being suitably apertured to save metal and reduce the weight of the side arm, but at a point where the Q pronounced flaring has diminished, to have the web of arm 9 become transversely centralized and the cross section become I-shaped from said point to the outer end of the arm. Where pouch-supporting mem bers or tubes 14 are connected with said arm 9, it is advisable to reinforce the arm with bosses.

The inner or top flanges of side arms 9, according to whether the rack of which said arms are a part is upright or extends outwardly in a substantially horizontal position, are each offset, as shown at 17, and when the rack is upright the ofiset point 17 of each arm 9 is adapted to bear against one side of pivot stud 11. Said flange slopes inwardly beyond point 17 to its normal line of direction, and at a bearing point 18, best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, is adapted to bear against stop 12 at the same time that point 17 is bearing against pivot stud 11. Also, when the rack 10 is upright, its center of gravity is outside of pivot stud 11 and said rack is caused to further preserve the last named position unchanged for this reason.

The interior of heel 16 of each side arm 9 has a radius practically corresponding to that of pivot stud 11, the arc of the internal surface of the flange of the heel portion equaling approximately a quadrant and serving as a pivot bearing 19, adapted when the rack 10 is to be turned to its service position, to be revoluble about said pivot stud.

Brackets 1 are spaced the proper distances and secured to the wall 3. Racks 10 are positioned between succeeding brackets, being alternately assembled with said brackets, so that, when all of the latter have been secured in place, none of the racks are detachable, except upon the removal of one of said brackets 1.

When it is not desired to use a rack, it is left in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. In this position, irrespective of jolting and swaying influences due to the movement of the car, the rack is firmly held in its upright position, and may not be revolved downwardly because of the heel 16 resting in socket 8 and bearing against base plate 4, and further because of the curved portion of the flange connecting heel 16 and foot 15 bearing against ridge flange 7 and ofi'set point 17 in the indented flange of each side arm 9 bearing against the rear of pivot stud 11. Bearing point 18 in conjunction with offset point 17 and socket 8 prevents an inward swaying of the rack 10 toward wall 3.

Upon a requirement for the suspension of mail pouches from the rack arising, tube 14:, connecting the upper and outer extremities of the side arms 9, may be used as an operating handle and rack 10 be raised against gravity to the position illustrated in Fig. 2. Pivot bearing 19 of each side arm 9 will then be practically concentric with and partially embrace that portion of the afliliated pivot stud 11 which is associated with the side arm 9, and the rack 10 of which the arm 9 is a part may be revolved downwardly about pivot stud 11 to the position shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1. Here foot 15 of each arm 9 of the rack engages the protuberance 6 of abutment 5 of the bracket 1 with which each respective arm 9 is associated. The rack 10 in question will now be caused by gravity to remain in the end of its affiliated pivot stud 11, no lateral displacement of rack 10 can take place in any position it may be caused to assume.

What I claim is 1. In a device of the class described, a pair of brackets and load-carrying racks adapted to be supported thereby and there between, said brackets and racks being provided with opposing engagement members for maintaining the racks in outwardly extending positions, said brackets carrying pivots about which said racks may be moved to an upright position, and means for holding said racks in other upright positions, said means being so arranged that said racks may drop by gravity from said pivots to seats in said brackets to become held by said holding means against movement except in a direction toward said pivots.

2. In a device of the class described, a supporting bracket carrying a pivot and rack-retaining means, and a rack comprising an arm, load-carrying members and an operating handle secured to said arm and'a pivot bearing adapted to detachably engage and be operable about said pivot, and cooperating rack-positioning means on said bracket and arm for maintaining the rack extended, said rack being movable to a position adapted to permit the separation of said bearing from its pivot to allow the arm to drop by gravity into engagement with said rack-retaining means. r p

8. In a device of the class described, a plurality of brackets each comprisingan abutment provided with seats, a pivot spacedtherefrom and a stop, and a rack positioned between said brackets and comprising side arms provided with contact portions and pivots bearings for detachably engaging said pivots, load-carrying members connecting said arms, and an abutment-engaging member, the latter and said abutment being adapted to cooperate to maintain said rack extended in one position, said rack being revoluble to a position permitting the separation of said pivot bearings and pivots to allow said rack to drop into engagement with said abutment seats and the contact portions of said arm to cooperate with said stops and pivots to hold the rack in a closed position.

4:. In a device of the class described, a plurality of double brackets each comprising a base plate,an abutment provided with seats, a double pivot, a stop and a partitioning wall, and a plurality of independent racks positioned between successive brackets, each rack comprising side arms, loadcarrying members connecting the same, and

stop, and a rack positioned between said brackets and comprising side arms eachhavmg a web, a flange formed in part into a v pivot bearing for detachably engaging one of said pivots, and load-carrying members connecting said arms, means for maintaining said rack in a load-supporting position, said rack being adapted to swing to a position releasing said bearings from said pivots and to thereupon drop to cause said arms toengage said base, pivots and stops to maintain said rack held, said webs lapping the pivots to prevent lateral displacement of the rack. V

6. Inca device of the class described, a plurality of brackets and a load-carrying rack supported thereby,said bracket having means for holding the rack against turning in a closed position and for permitting a given initial movement, part of said means constituting pivots for said rack, the latter being provided with side arms of I-shaped cross section which alters to a channelshaped cross section at their inner ends, a portion of said channel-shaped ends being formed into detachable pivot bearings, said initial movement causing the engagement of said bearings and pivots to allow said rack to be swung to a load-supporting position.

7. In combination in a device of the class described, a rackprovided with pivot receiving pockets on opposite sides, brackets adjacent to said sides and pivots on said brackets loosely interlocking with said rack, the latter being adapted to be moved to a closed position separating said pivots and receiving-pockets and to a position engaging said pivots and receiving-pockets and then to be rotated about said pivots to an open position. 7

8. In combination in a device of the class described, brackets and a movable rack, intel-locking flanges on the rack and pivots on the brackets and mutual positioning means on said brackets and rack by which said rack is adapted to be held in a closed-position and to be moved without rotation to a given location and then rotated to an open position.

9. In combination in a device of the class described, brackets, a rack having outstanding flanges and being adapted to be moved to open and closed positions, fixed pivots on said brackets lapping and cooperating with the flanges on the rack, said rack being adapted to be lifted toengage said pivots and to be then rotated on said pivots to an open position.

7 10. In combination in a device of the class described, a rack provided with flanges forming pivot receiving pockets on opposite sides, spaced pockets and fixed pivots on said brackets adapted to engage said, flanges, the rack being adapted to be Vmoved from a closed position to anelevatedposition engaging said pivots and receiving-pockets and then to be rotated about said pivots to an open position.

' 11. In combination in a device of the class described, brackets provided with seats and pivotal projections separated therefrom, a rack adapted to rest in said seats and flanges on said rack lapping said pivots on the brackets adapted to lock said rack against rotation in a closed position, said rack being adapted to be moved without rotation to disassociate said flanges and pivots and to turn about said pivots to an open position.

12. In combination in a device of the class described, brackets having rack receiving seats, a movable rack therebetween, pivots carried by said brackets, cooperating flanges on said rack adapted to cooperate with said pivots and brackets to lock the rack against rotation in a closed .position said rack being adapted to be lifted to an unlocking position and turned about said pivots to an open position. 7

18. In combination, a plurality of brackets comprising fixed pivot members and a rack comprising a pair of freely movable arms held by connecting means into cooperative relation with said brackets and outstanding flanges on said arms interlocking said fixed pivots and arms when the arms occupy diflierent positions.

14 In a device of the class described, a plurality of brackets, flanged racks sup ported thereby, said brackets being provided with outstanding pivots for engaging flanges on said racks in predetermined positions, and

means for permitting partial non-rotative movement of said racks, said racks being operable about said pivots in one direction only after they have been caused to make an initial movement.

15. In a mail pouch rack, a plurality of spaced brackets and load-carrying racks com prising spaced arms supported thereby, said brackets being provided with rack receiving sockets and means forholding said racks in one position and for permitting the same to be lifted without releasing the racks, part of said means constituting interlocking flanges and pivots for said racks, theracks being caused by gravity to maintain their relation with said brackets until manually displaced, said racks being caused by an initial movement to travel into swiveling engagement with said pivots to be operable about the same to another position.

16. In a device of the class described, a.

plurality of brackets and load-carrying racks supported thereby, saidbrackets being provided with rack receiving sockets and fixed pivots for holding said racks in one position and permitting the same to have a given initial movement, after which they are adapted to swivel on said pivots to another position.

17 In combination in a folding mail pouch rack, fixed brackets spaced apart and having base portions, rack receiving pockets and fixed pivots; a rack comprising a pair of side arms adapted to rest in said pockets and having portions adapted to pass between said base portions and the pivots whereby the rack may be secured in a plurality of positions.

18. In combination in a folding mail pouch rack, flanged arms and connecting members comprising a rack, spaced brackets having a plurality of outstanding pivots interlocking with said arms and pocket portions adapted to support the rack when in folded position.

19. In combination in a device of the class 'pivots adapted to cooperate with the pivot sockets of said side arms.

20. In combination in a device of the class described, brackets comprising seats, fixed pivots spaced from base plates forming parts of said brackets, and a recessed rack with which said pivots interlock in the recessed portions thereof, said rack being provided with irregular perimetrical portions adapted to contact with said seats and pivots and being adapted to move from a closed to an open position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

VICTOR WILLOUGI-IBY.

Witnesses:

ALLEN W. CLARKE, C. B. BEESON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent: Washington, I). G. 

